Lifeboat - Our Aims
Lifeboat has been born out of a need to provide quality training and awareness for those people working with parents who are experiencing anxiety or depression related to pregnancy or birth.
- Lifeboat aims to provide quality parental peer support for those experiencing anxiety or depression related to pregnancy or birth.
- Our training programmes have been developed to support those people working with parents experiencing perinatal mental illness.
- Our awareness seminars are designed for everyone – whether they are delivered in the workplace, nurseries, schools or colleges.
With around 1 in 5 women developing a mental health problem during this period, there are still many areas of the UK with little support for those experiencing mild to moderate symptoms. Lifeboat aims to support parents on their recovery journey and train both statutory and voluntary sector staff to help deliver a more comprehensive and accessible service for parents and infants.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
However, we also believe that “prevention is better than cure”. There is increasing focus on the need to educate young adults around mental wellbeing to reduce the potential development of perinatal mental illness. So, as part of our community initiatives we are delivering seminars and workshops to early years staff, secondary school children, universities, colleges and workplaces.
Why Lifeboat?
Why the name Lifeboat? During the final session of our Perinatal Comfort Zone programme, parents draw their mental health recovery journey. On many occasions we see images of people adrift in the sea at the start of their journey. However, by the end they have made it to a rescue boat. That boat is often someone who supports them along the way, offering hope and shelter in difficult times.